Car propelling means



April 18, 1950 H. E. WOOD CAR PROPELLING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledDec. 12, 1945 INVENTOR. Henry Ea W017i BY W FM April 18, 1950 H. E. WOOD2,504,

CAR PROPELLING MEANS Filed Dec. 12, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.Henry EarZe Ma g f gwwwgy Patented Apr. 18, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE CAR PROPELLING MEANS Henry Earle Wood, Cincinnati, OhioApplication December 12, 1945, Serial No. 634,605

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to a car propelling means and has for anobject the provision of a device for connecting a vehicleor the likepredetermined path such These and other objects are attained by themeans described herein and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig.-1 is a top plan view of an endless gravity conveyor systemembodyingthe devices of th invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental, -elevational view taken on line 22 of Fig. l anddisclosing in end e1evation a device of the invention operativelymounted therein. I F

Fig. 3' is an enlarged top plan View of a device of the inventiondetached from the conveyor.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3. V

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 3.

The device of the invention is operatively shown in Figs. 1 and 2'toprovide for a combination of relative movements between the individualvehicles of a gravity conveyor mechanism and the control arms whichserve to synchronize and control the relative movement of a number ofvehicles operating through identical paths.

In the gravity conveyor system of Fig. 21 there is showndiagrammatically a continuous track indicated generally at! and whichmay comprise a pair of endless parallel rails 8 suitably supported on aninclined plane surface 9 such as the surface of a hillside. The railsmay be secured to cross ties Ill or otherwise fixed in position. Aplurality of vehicles H are tractionally I 5 extend radially from thecenter or hub at uniform angles throughout and may be retained in thisuniform, angularly related position in any suitable fashion such as bystruts or ties Hi.

It will be apparent from the foregoing and upon inspection of Fig. 1that the eccentrically related rotating spoke structure and the trackwill, upon rotation of the spoke structure, causethe end of any givensweep I5 to approximately overhang the track I at one position, and thaton continued rotation of the spoke structure about its aXis on shaft I3,the end of said sweep I5 will project a considerable distance beyond thetrack 1. Each of the vehicles II is provided with a fixedly mounted,perpendicular connector pole H, the end of which enters the open slot II8 in the bottom of one of the sweeps I5. Supported on each pole I1 anddisposed within the hollow interior of the inverted channel shape sweepI5, is one of the antifriction members indicated generally at I9. Theshuttle hitch I9 see also Figs. 3, 4 and 5) comprises a top plate nectedin any suitable manner. Mounted in the geometrical center of each of theuniform plates 20 and ZI are antifriction bearings 23 and '24, theseantifriction bearings being axially aligned for the reception of the topend of post ll of the plates 20 and 2| and on either side of thelongitudinal center thereof, are disposed bearing rollers 25. Theserollers 25 are arranged in groups of four in mutually non-contactingrelation and disposed so that the peripheries thereof project uniformlybeyond opposite longitudinal supported on the rails 8 by means offlanged I wheels I2, The track 'I (Fig. 1) is desirably arranged in anoval shape on the inclined side of the hill. Mounted within the interiorof the oval thus formed, and at a distance from the geometric center ofsaid oval, a heavy stud shaft or center post I3 is firmly anchoredin'the ground 1 and is arranged perpendicularly to the inclined surface9 of the hillside. Connected to a center hub M, which is rotatable onshaft I3, is a series of inverted channel shaped sweeps or spokes ofuniform length. The successive sweeps or spokes edges of the plates 20and 2|. As can be best seen in Fig. 3, the groups of four rollers 25 aredisposed on opposite sides of the center antifriction bearings 23 and24.

As can be best seen in Fig. 5, each roller 25 has projecting from itsopposite ends a top stud shaft 26 and a bottom stud shaft 21 which arerigidly fixed to or integral with the roller. bearings 28 are providedfor the respective stud shafts 26 and 21, the components of saidantifriction bearings being connected with said shafts and therespective plates 20 and 2|.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the peripheries of therollers 25, which are adapted for free rolling contact on the opposedinner parallel faces of the channel shaped sweeps and a bottom plate Mwhich are connected f in spaced parallelism by a pair of posts 22, to'the opposite ends of which they are rigidly con- Antifriction l5, willallow hitch member-|9 toshiftlongitudinally in the sweep IS with aminimum of resistance, while the center antifriction bearings 23 an 24,which receive the post [1, permit the f H to follow track I and toconverge and diverge; from the eccentrically located center shaft.I.3.of,...

a spoke unit. In the arrangement shown inFig'. 1

29 represents a loading station at therhi herr,

elevation on the incline or hillside and 30 represents an unloadingstation for the vehicles--dis posed at a lower elevation on saidincline, By

the arrangement shown, the vehicles leaving the loading station 29maydescend in thedirection.

of arrow 3I' for gravitational movement toian unloading'station 30. Bythe eccentric arrangement'shown the vehicles ll which have been unloadedare caused to converge toward the center of rotation 53' as they followthe upwardly inclined section of track 'l which is situated closer,

to the; center of rotation I3. In view of this it willbe'readilyapparent, that, in addition-tothe; difference in weight of thedescending loading,

vehicle and the risingempty vehicle-upon; each pair of aligned sweeps15, the positions. of: the respective vehicles on, their sweeps findsthe;

empty,;upwardly traveling vehicle closer to the.

axis of rotation I3. Considering the aligned; oppositely extendingradial sweeps as a lever: and

0 the point l3 asa fulcrum, it will be readily age-1 parent that. even alightly loaded vehicleon the descending side of the conveyor willreadily-over,-

balance the. load of the empty vehicle diamete ricallyoppositeit. Thecombined movementsof each device l9 as it progressively converges and- 1then diverges with relation to. the center'cf. rota.-

tion, l3 and the accompanying rotary adjustment of the post. I inantifriction bearings. 23; and-$.24

provide for remarkably smooth and free rotation,

of the-series-of vehicles about the track under=- theginfiuence ofgravity.

In" practice the inclined plane on whichthe. device operates may assumevarious angles other than that exemplified in Fig. 2. The inclinedplans. may be selected on a natural site such as;

a hillside or said inclined plane may be; artificiallyi .produced toaccommodate the: circuit:

travel of. the vehicles from one level to a, lower: one andreturn. Theessence of the smoothand facile gravitational operation ofuthe deviceresides in the provision of the antifriction connectionoi bearings-2324, on the post ll fixeduonmi the vehicle, in conjunction with thefree-.rollingy.

bearing of rollers 25, which are uniformly; grouped:

on opposite. sides of bearings. 23-44, upon. the

contaoting parallel inner faces of sweeps; I5...v

The structure disclosed is to be understood as not limited to thespecific disclosure: since it is.

contemplated that minor details of construction areto be made inadapting the conveyor orthe propellingmeans of the, invention tospecific installations. For example, the antifriction bearanorbital-.rtrack of substantially uniform curva-.

turedisposed in an inclined plane, a rotatably' mounted spoke unithaving its axis of'rotation flxed:eccentrically within the track; orbitand perpendicular to the inclined plane, said unit comprising aplurality of radially spaced, channeled sweeps movable in unison overthe track and in parallelism therewith, vehicles on said track below therespective sweeps, a hitch post extending: upwardly from eachvehicleinto the channel of the sweep above it, and a propelling meansdisposed in the channel of each of said sweeps, eachproipelling meanscomprising a central antifriction bearing whereby said propellingmeans-is revolubly supported on the end of the hitch postand furthercomprising rollers having-antif-rictionbearings at opposite endsthereof, said rollers adapting the propelling means for movementlongitudinally within the respectivesweeps.

2, A gravit conveyorcomprising an orbital. track of substantiallyuniform curvature disposed in an inclin'edplane, a rotatable. spoke;unit have. ing anaxis. of rotation fixedeccentrically within the trackorbit and perpendicular to the. inclined plane, said unit comprising aplurality of-.ra-...- dially spaced channeled sweeps movable in par-vallelism with the. plane..-and over. the track,,.ve hicles on the trackbeneath the respective sweeps,. hitch posts on the vehiclesextendinginto the; channels of the respective sweeps, car propellingmeans rotatably supported on the respective hitch posts. and disposedwithin. the channels. of. the... respective sweeps, said.. car.propelling means including bearing rollers having tractional.-;engagement on opposed sides of the channels of said-v sweeps andproviding for reciprocation thereof longitudinally within the associatedI sweeps as the vehicles move al0ng:,the.,.traok and'converge, anddiverge to and iromthe cene ter. of rotation of thespoke unitduring-such; movement.

3. In -a device of the class-described an.end-.. less track ofsubstantially-uniformcurvature: disposed, in a non-horizontal plane,- a:cen-w ter shaft fixedly mounted in said non-horizontal plane within;the area bounded by the...track and to one side of a center line passingthrough the 1" highest. and the lowest :pointsin said trackga spoke unitrotatably mounted on said. shaft and including; a plurality of radiallyextending sweeps of uniform length arranged in aligned =pairs--- aboutthe center of rotation, the sweeps of said spoke-unit overhanging thetrack' in varying de-'--- areas. during rotation :of the spoke -.=unit,tractionally supported members on;the track beneath their respectivesweeps, antifriction car propel--- ling members mounted for longitudinal-reciprocation onithe respective sweeps and hitch postsfixedc to therespective, tractionall-ysupported members and rotatably supporting therespective members. in the plane of movement of" said sweeps.

HENRY EARLE WOOD;

REFERENCES CITED The'following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 1 Name Date 116,864r. Jamesv May 2, 1876786,117 Hagen May 28,1905

1,353,929 Maynes. Sept.'28,"-l920' 1,544,823 Fairhurst July '7', 1925*FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date.

180,586 Germany Jane-24,1903"

